All In The Family
by gutsandglitter
Summary: AU set in what I call the "family-verse." It's 1975 and Abbey and Jed Bartlet have five children - Leo (16), Toby (13), Josh (9), CJ (7), and Sam (2). On the night of Abbey and Jed's anniversary, Mrs. Landingham falls ill and can't babysit the children. Jed asks a courier from Notre Dame, Charlie Young, to watch them for the night.


"Did you ask if he was CPR certified?" Abbey asked

Jed rolled his eyes. "Yes. He also has his driver's license and his own car. He has never committed a felony. He does not do drugs."

"How do you know that for sure?"

Jed pinched the bridge of his nose. "The university drugs tests all of our couriers regularly."

"It's not a ridiculous question Jed." Abbey handed Jed her pearls and swept her hair off her neck so he could put it on for her.

"Well you're making it sound like I'd hand off our children to a complete whackjob and frankly I'd be offended by that if your neckline weren't so sinfully low," he murmured in her ear, clasping the necklace around her pale throat and letting his fingertips graze her collarbone.

Abbey turned and batted her lashes at him and was about to say something naughty when Leo stepped into the room.

"Dad, can I borrow one of your ties?"

"Why do you need a tie? It's not the prom, just a sports coat should be fine."

"Margaret told me I had to wear a tie," Leo mumbled, the tips of his ears turning pink.

Jed snickered. "Well if Margaret insists." He gestured to the closet. "They're hanging in there."

Leo ducked inside the closet and began rummaging through Jed's ties.

"Are you sure you don't want to skip the dance and watch the kids for us?" Abbey asked hopefully. "Make a little bit of cash?"

"Margaret would kill me if I skipped the dance," Leo called back.

Abbey and Jed exchanged a grin just before a familiar "Mom!" echoed down the hall.

Abbey sighed and walked to the dining room, leaving Jed to help Leo pick out a tie.

CJ was sitting at the dining room table with her schoolbooks spread out in front of her. She was crying hysterically. Toby was leaning on the wall with his arms folded across his chest and an angry scowl on his face. As soon as Abbey entered the room CJ ran to her and threw her arms around her mother's waist, sobbing into her skirt. Her messy blond pigtails bounced with each sob.

"Hey hey, what's all this about?" she asked, casting a suspicious eye at Toby.

Toby threw up his hands. "She's such a baby! I was just joking!"

CJ let out a little sob and looked up at Abbey through watery blue eyes. "He said the only reason I got to skip the second grade was because the second grade teachers didn't like me!" she wailed.

"It was a joke!" Toby cried out indignantly.

"Not a very funny one apparently," Abbey said, giving him a death glare.

Toby growled under his breath and stormed off to his room, which had become his favorite hobby since he had turned thirteen.

Abbey knelt down next to CJ and wiped her daughter's tears away with her thumb. "Toby just has a bad sense of humor baby," she said quietly. "We're all so proud of you."

CJ sniffled. "Mommy, why doesn't Toby like me anymore? He never plays with me like he used to."

Abbey smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Toby's a teenager now. He's going through a lot of changes and that makes him grumpy. Well, grumpier than usual," she added with a smile.

CJ giggled.

Abbey looked down at her daughter's blue jeans. "Claudia Jean, I just bought those pants for you last week. How have you already torn them?" she asked, fingering the ragged rip on the left knee.

"I tripped over another curb," CJ said sullenly.

Abbey sighed and stood up. "What are we going to do with you?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

The doorbell rang. "Looks like your babysitter is here," Abbey said to CJ, smoothing her skirt and walking across the parquet towards the front hall.

"Why can't Leo watch us?" CJ whined, trailing after her mother.

"Leo's got a date with his giiirlfriend," she said in a singsong-y voice.

CJ giggled and hid behind her mother's skirt as Abbey opened the front door.

"You must be Charlie," Abbey said warmly to the young man on the front porch.

"Indeed I am. Are you Mrs. Bartlet?"

"I am, you can call me Abbey," she said, immediately warming to him. "The ruffian clinging to my skirt is Claudia Jean."

CJ made an irritated noise and stepped out from behind Abbey. "I don't like being called Claudia Jean. Call me CJ," she instructed Charlie.

"Will do, CJ," Charlie replied with a grin.

"Come in," Abbey said gracious, stepping out of the way so Charlie could come into the hall. "Jed, Charlie's here!" she called over her shoulder. She turned back to Charlie. "I can't tell you how grateful we are for you to do this on such short notice. Our regular babysitter Mrs. Landingham is sick tonight."

"It's no problem. Mr. Bartlet said it was your anniversary tonight?"

"Yes, our twentieth," Abbey said with a small smile.

Charlie let out a low whistle. "Impressive."

Josh came tearing into the foyer, sliding across the hardwood in his socked feet. Donna trailed behind him holding Sam on her hip.

"Mom can Donna stay for dinner?" Josh asked breathlessly.

"You'll have to direct that question to Charlie. He's going to be watching you guys tonight."

Josh looked up at Charlie. "Hi. Can Donna stay for dinner?"

Donna gave a little wave to Charlie with her free hand.

Charlie shrugged. "Fine by me. Is it alright with her parents?"

Donna nodded. "I'm sure it is, but I can call and ask if you'd like."

"That'd be good."

Donna handed Sam to Abbey and went to use the phone. Josh trailed after her like a stray puppy. CJ quickly followed them out of the room.

Abbey rolled her eyes and looked at Charlie. "It's for the best that she stays. Josh won't give you any trouble if she's here, Donna keeps him in line. He's a good kid, don't get me wrong, but when she's not around he can be a bit of a putz."

"Understood."

Abbey shifted Sam on her hip. "And this is Samuel, our youngest. Sammy, can you say hi to Charlie?"

Sam looked up at Charlie and immediately hid his face in the crook of Abbey's neck.

"He's a little shy," Abbey explained. "If he gives you any trouble give him to Toby. He adores Toby."

Charlie nodded. "How old is he?"

"Just turned two last month." Abbey smoothed Sam's hair and kissed his forehead.

"Nice. One of the regulars I sit for has twins that age, a boy and a girl."

Abbey visibly relaxed. "So you do sit for multiple kids regularly?"

"Oh yes m'am. And I'm CPR certified, if you'd like to see my card."

"That's not necessary, I'll take your word for it."

Jed strolled into the foyer with his arm around a bashful looking Leo. Leo was wearing a smart red tie of Jed's that was only a tiny bit too long for him.

"Hey Charlie, how you doing?" Jed asked, shaking Charlie's hand warmly.

"Just fine, thank you for asking sir."

Jed waved his hand. "None of that sir stuff Charlie, I told you. Just Jed."

"You must be Leo," Charlie said, extending his hand.

Leo took it and shook it politely. "Nice to meet you Charlie."

Abbey bit her lip, realizing that her Leo was almost a man now. In his sports coat and tie he looked much older than sixteen, he could have easily passed for twenty. She reached out and straightened his tie, though it wasn't crooked.

"Mom, stop," he said. "I'm going to be late."

Abbey smiled sadly and kissed his cheek. "Say hello to Margaret for me. And be home by eleven," she instructed.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Fine," he muttered as he walked out the door.

"Drive safe!" Jed called after him.

The foursome watched as Leo started his Impala and drove off into the Manchester twilight. The Impala was Leo's pride and joy. After two summers of caddying at the local golf course and several nights babysitting his siblings he'd finally been able to Mrs. Landingham's old Impala. Mrs. Landingham had then been able to buy a new car, her first new car, and it was hard to tell which one was prouder of their current vehicle.

Jed looked at his watch. "We'd better get going too if we want to make our reservation Abbey," he said gently.

She nodded and kissed Sam's forehead before setting him down. He toddled off down the hall, presumably to find Toby.

Abbey turned back to Charlie. "I made a lasagna for dinner, it's in the oven and just needs to be heated up. They should be hungry in a half hour or so. Sam's already eaten, but there's applesauce in the fridge if you think he's still hungry. They've all done their respective homework so they can watch tv after dinner if they can agree on something to watch. Bedtimes are at nine, but Toby can stay up reading for a while if he likes. They aren't allowed to have sugar, and all the important phone numbers are on the fridge. That includes the restaurant where we're eating and the number for the box office at the theatre we're attending."

"I understand," Charlie answered.

"I'll just grab my purse and we can get going." Abbey turned and walked down the hall.

Jed waited until she was out of earshot before leaning over and whispering conspiratorially to Charlie. "There's a bag of saltwater taffy in the pantry hidden behind the cans. Give them sugar and you've bought their love forever, trust me on this one."

Charlie smirked and nodded.

Abbey came out of the bedroom with her purse in her hand worrying her lip. Jed tugged lightly on her arm.

"Come on Abbey. The kids will be fine."

She nodded uneasily. "Alright. You'll be sure to call the restaurant or the theatre if you have any trouble at all?"

"Though I'm sure it won't come to that, in the off chance that it does I most certainly will."

Abbey was obviously comforted by this answer. "Okay. C'mon Jethro, let's go paint the town aubergine."

Jed laughed and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Sounds like a plan sweet knees. Bye Charlie!"

"Have a nice evening," Charlie replied kindly, shutting the door behind the pair.

He watched through the window as Jed eased the station wagon down the driveway and out onto the street. As soon as the little blue car was out of eyesight he heard squabbling in the next room.

"Ow!"

"Ew did you just bite me? You're such a little punk!"

"Aw, what the hell?" Charlie muttered under his breath as he followed the sounds of fighting into the living room.

The scene in the living room was mildly terrifying. Josh had CJ in a headlock while CJ struggled and gnashed her teeth. Donna and Toby sat on the sofa with Sam in between them. Donna was covering Sam's eyes with her hand while Toby watched the goings-on with glee.

"Hey hey, knock it off," Charlie said sharply.

Josh looked up and instantly let go of CJ. CJ fell to the floor with a loud thump, she quickly jumped back up and shot a dirty look at Josh.

Charlie rubbed his temples. "Alright everybody be cool. Why are you guys fighting?"

CJ scowled. "I told Josh I was gonna be president of the United States someday and he said girls can't be president."

"We've had like a hundred presidents and none of them have been girls!" Josh said defensively. "Girls aren't smart enough to be president."

CJ's right fist shot out and caught Josh in the kidneys. He doubled over in pain.

"There've only been 39 presidents," Toby corrected.

"Shut up Toby," Josh growled, straightening up and rubbing a hand over his injured side.

Charlie held up his hands. "Okay, everybody keep their hands to themselves. Josh, nothing in the constitution says women can't be president. There will be a woman president someday and it might be CJ so you'd better start being a little nicer to her and maybe she'll make you her Vice President. CJ, Josh is going to be a registered voter someday so you might want to stop punching him and start trying to win his vote."

CJ and Josh eyed each other warily but said nothing.

"You guys getting hungry yet?"

The four older children nodded quietly. Sam sucked his thumb contemplatively.

"Alright, I'll go warm up the lasagna for you guys. Toby could you set the table?"

Toby trudged into the kitchen sullenly. Charlie looked at CJ and Toby.

"I didn't think I'd have to pull out the big guns this early. If you guys are good and don't hit each other or fight or anything I'll give you candy."

That caught their attention.

Josh saluted him. "Yes sir!"

Donna rolled her eyes.

"Alright. I'm going to go get dinner ready. Donna, are you okay keeping an eye on Sam for a few minutes?"

"Sure, I love Sammy." She planted a kiss on Sam's rosy little cheek and he giggled.

Charlie went into the kitchen and turned the oven on so that the lasagna could heat up. Toby was pulling glasses out of a cupboard. He didn't look at Charlie.

"Are they always like this?" Charlie asked, breaking the silence.

Toby shrugged. "Josh is just bent out of shape because CJ's getting all the attention. She's so smart she got to skip the second grade and he has so much trouble with math that the teacher wants to put him in the remedial class."

"Well there's not much shame in that, if he needs it."

"Mom and dad don't see it that way. They'd rather he be a fourth grade dropout than a remedial student."

Charlie wasn't sure how much of that statement was true so he changed the subject.

"So you play any sports Toby?"

Toby snorted. "No, no I don't."

"Oh. Any clubs?"

"I'm on the debate team," Toby answered.

"So arguing runs in the family."

Toby grinned and nodded. "You have no idea. Just wait, you're going to have to play the moderator tonight during dinner."

Where some families discussed the events of the day or watched tv during dinner, the Bartlets played trivia games. The sideboard in the dining room (which is traditionally meant for fine china and silver) housed the encyclopedia set, Webster's complete dictionary, King James Bible, and several other reference books. At the start of dinner, Jed Bartlet would go to the sideboard, pick a book, flip through it, and chose a subject at random. He would then take his place at the head of the table and announce the first topic. "Countries in South America!" he might announce, and then they would go around the table listing the countries in South America. If you couldn't think of a country, you were out. The last person standing would pick the next topic, and so on until dinner ended.

Charlie had attended Sunday school for ten years and felt fairly competent in the subject matter, so he plucked the bible off the shelf before he sat down. The four kids at the table eyed the book eagerly. Donna had spread out a blanket on the floor next to the table, Sam sat on it and happily played with his blocks.

"Okay, um I've never done this before," Charlie said slowly. "So let's go with books in the Old Testament?" He was unsure of how this stacked up against their usual topics, but the gleam in Toby's eye told him it was a good one.

Josh was to Charlie's left. "Corinthians," he said quickly.

"Psalms," Donna said. She had dinner at the Bartlet's house more often than at her own and was a skilled player in this Bartlet-style Trivial Pursuit.

"Leviticus," Toby answered.

"Genesis," CJ said proudly.

Toby won the first round by being the only one who could remember Ecclesiastes. His topic of choice was naming the twelve apostles. Donna won that round and finished up the game by switching the topic to the Ten Commandments. Ironically, no one could remember "honor thy father and thy mother."

Charlie couldn't help but be impressed by the Bartlet children. Every one of them was sharp as a tack and possessed the intellect of someone twice their age. He half expected them to adjourn to the study after dinner for coffee and brandy.

CJ and Josh volunteered to do the dishes (apparently Charlie's promise of candy had gone quite far in earning their good behavior). Donna followed them into the kitchen and Charlie heard the three having a spirited discussion about what they would do if one of them ever did become president. Toby curled up in a chair in the living room with a battered copy of 1984.

Sam toddled up to his older brother and tugged on his pant leg.

"Uppy Toby, uppy!" he whined.

Toby scooped his younger brother up onto his lap and began reading aloud to him "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious," he read.

Sam grinned and snuggled back into his brother's chest.

Charlie could now see why the Bartlet children were so precocious, they started early in this family.

Josh and Donna came into the living room with CJ trailing behind them. CJ had a small mass of soap suds hanging off the end of one of her pigtails. They looked up at Charlie expectantly. He laughed and went back into the kitchen, rifling through the pantry until he came up with a mixed bag of saltwater taffy. He grabbed three for each of the kids and went back out into the living room.

"You guys want to watch some tv or something?" Charlie asked after he had given the three waiting children their candy.

"Donna and I are going to go play in my room," Josh said, mouth full of taffy. "Alone," he added, looking at CJ.

CJ pouted but said nothing.

"Okay," Charlie said slowly.

Josh and Donna raced upstairs to Josh's room, CJ flopped down on the sofa with her arms crossed.

"Toby, is it okay if we turn on the tv?"

Toby looked up from his book. "It's okay, I'll go to my room to read. I think Sam has had enough dystopian literature for the day."

Sam blinked sleepily as he was transferred from Toby's lap to the ground. Toby stood up and stretched before going up to his room. Sam looked like he wanted to follow, but he yawned widely and sat down on the ground.

"Looks like he's ready for bed. CJ, want to pick something on tv for us to watch?"

CJ looked up, startled. "I never get to pick what we watch."

Charlie shrugged. "Well tonight you do."

An enormous grin threatened to split CJ's face in half. She gleefully jumped up and raced to the tv, twisting the knob and making the machine whir to life.

Charlie smirked and knelt down beside Sam. "You sleepy little buddy?"

Sam looked at Charlie hesitantly and nodded.

"Let's get you to bed then."

He scooped Sam up into his arms and walked past CJ who was patiently waiting for the tv to warm up. He started out the door before turning back.

"Wait, where's his bed?" He hadn't seen any of the rest of the house.

CJ was staring intently at the screen in front of her. "Upstairs on the-" she paused and looked down at her hands, making an 'L' with her thumb and index finger on each hand. "Right."

Charlie nodded and headed up the stairs. There was only one door on the right, he pushed it open to reveal a nursery painted a soft shade of green. Toys were scattered sporadically across the beige carpet and there was an antique-looking rocking chair standing in the corner of the room. Charlie sat Sam down on the bed with its crib-like sides and rifled through the dresser for some pajamas. Sam yawned again and watched Charlie patiently. Finding a flannel onesie with a rocket-ship pattern on it, he went back to Sam and deftly changed him into it. Sam happily snuggled down under the covers and shut his eyes immediately. Charlie wavered, unsure of whether or not he should read to him.

"Nigh-nigh," Sam said quietly, answering Charlie's question.

Charlie backed out of the room quietly and shut the door most of the way. He realized the doors all had signs on them bearing the name of their occupants. This one was marked "Samuel," the one next to it bore "Leo and Toby," across the hall was "Josh," and the one at the end of the hall read "Claudia Jean," though there was a paper sign beneath it that read "CJ!" in enormous messy letters.

He trotted down the stairs and into the living room. The Brady Bunch was playing on the tv, CJ sat on the floor in front of it with a happy smile on her face.

Charlie sat down on the overstuffed leather sofa, half watching the tv show and half listening for commotion upstairs. A few minutes after he had gotten settled into watching the antics of the Brady family, the doorbell rang.

CJ was totally oblivious as Charlie got up and headed for the front door. Standing on the porch was an impossibly pale woman with what could only be described as flaxen hair. She looked surprised to see him at the door.

"Hello. Would you happen to be Donna's mother?"

"Ah, yes. I'm Gabriella Moss. Are you the new babysitter?"

"That I am. It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Moss."

They shook hands politely and Charlie motioned her into the foyer.

"Donna, your mother's here!" he called upstairs.

Two massive groans answered from up the stairs.

Mrs. Moss smiled tersely at Charlie. There was an awkward pause.

"So do you folks live nearby?" Charlie asked.

"Yes."

He nodded. She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor. They stood in silence for several moments.

After what seemed like an eternity, Donna and Josh trudged down the stairs. Donna had a pink bookbag slung over one shoulder and a few paperback books tucked under one arm.

"Hello Joshua," Mrs. Moss said brightly.

"Hi," Josh mumbled.

Donna handed her mother her bookbag and the books in her hand. "I loaned Josh some of my Judy Blumes a while ago, he just finished them," Donna explained to her mother.

Josh shot a panicked look up at Charlie. "They aren't girl books," he said quickly. "They're actually really good."

"Your secret's safe with me," Charlie said conspiratorially.

"Bye Josh," Donna said with a little wave. "Thank you for letting me stay for dinner Charlie."

"Not a problem Donna. You two have a good night, okay?"

Mrs. Moss nodded. "You too." She put her hand on the back of Donna's neck and steered her towards the car.

Charlie shut the door behind them. He thought for a moment. "Is Mrs. Moss always that formal?"

Josh looked down. "No. She…no."

Charlie quirked an eyebrow. "She didn't seem too pleased to see me. Donna did tell her that your parents weren't home right?"

"Yeah. She told her we had a new babysitter."

Charlie looked at Josh, who was refusing to meet his eye. "Josh."

Josh's ears turned pink as he peeked up at Charlie.

"Donna's mother didn't know your new babysitter was black, did she?"

Josh looked down again and shook his head.

"Donna didn't tell her that because her mother wouldn't have let her stay if she had,"  
Charlie said quietly.

Josh nodded again meekly. Charlie scrubbed a hand over his face.

Josh looked up quickly. "Donna's not like that though. Our other best friend Nancy is black. Donna's mom doesn't let her go over to Nancy's house after school, but she always plays on the playground with us."

"I don't doubt that Josh," Charlie said tiredly.

The nine-year-old looked up at Charlie with wide brown eyes, obviously searching for the right words to make the ugly situation better.

Charlie clapped him on the shoulder. "What do you say we go watch tv with your sister?" he asked kindly.

Josh nodded and the pair went into the living room. Josh flopped haphazardly on the couch. "Aw man, I hate The Brady Bunch," he muttered.

"Charlie said I got to pick what we watch tonight," CJ said, not turning her head away from the screen.

Josh crossed his arms across his chest and furrowed his brow as he stared at the screen. Charlie crossed over to the armchair in the corner and perched himself there uneasily. He tried to get into the show, but his thoughts kept going back to the awkward exchange in the hallway.

Two episodes later, Charlie looked at his watch. Nine o' clock on the dot.

"Alright, time for bed guys."

CJ and Josh groaned.

"Can't we stay up a little late?" CJ whined.

"Nope. Your mother said bedtime was at nine, and quite frankly I find her intimidating so I'd rather not get on her bad side."

CJ and Josh seemed to understand this, they got up and went upstairs without any further complaint.

Charlie turned off the tv and followed them upstairs. He checked in on Sam, who was fast asleep, before knocking on the door of Leo and Toby's room.

"Come in."

Charlie pushed the door open to reveal a meticulously tidied room. One either side of the room was a neatly made twin bed, both covered in matching blue plaid comforters. A pair of pine desks were pushed up against the wall in between the beds, each with a comfortable-looking pine chair and white metal desk lamp. The only disorder in the room was in each of the pine bookcases, both were stuffed to the gills with books of every size and style (reminiscent of the sideboard in the dining room).

Toby looked up from where he was reading on his bed. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, just wanted to check in and make sure you were alright in here." He leaned against the doorframe. "So how'd you and Leo get stuck being the only ones who had to share a room?"

Toby shrugged. "Mom got pregnant with Sam and it's only a five bedroom house. By virtue of being the only girl CJ didn't have to share, so basically it was me and Josh or me and Leo. I wasn't crazy about the idea of rooming with Josh. Nice kid but he's about as subtle as a hand grenade in a bowl of oatmeal."

Charlie laughed. "Gotcha. You gonna be up reading for a while?"

"Not much longer. I can only take so much Orwell at a time, you know?"

"Yeah. Anyway, if you need anything I'll be downstairs. Your parents should be home soonish."

Toby nodded and Charlie closed the door. He moved across the hall to the open door of the bathroom where CJ and Josh were brushing their teeth over a pedestal sink.

Josh wore a pair of blue pajamas that were about three sizes too big for him. He had the sleeves rolled way up and the pants were cuffed at the bottom.

"Nice pajamas Josh."

CJ spit out her toothpaste in the sink and looked up at Charlie. "I got them for him for his birthday," she said proudly. "I picked them out myself."

Josh caught Charlie's eye in the mirror and rolled his eyes.

"Well you certainly have an eye for fashion there CJ."

CJ smiled proudly before wiping the corners of her mouth on a washcloth and putting her toothbrush in the holder by the sink. She was wearing a soft-looking purple flannel nightgown. Charlie realized she was lucky being the only girl out of five children, she had probably never had to wear hand-me-downs.

Charlie moved out of the way so CJ could get to her room. She flicked on the light and turned around. "Are you going to babysit us again Charlie?"

Charlie thought of Mrs. Moss' face earlier. He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

She bit her lip. "I hope you do." She wavered in the doorway for a minute then walked over and gave Charlie a hug.

Charlie was surprised, but touched. He patted her on the back.

She pulled back and smiled up at him. "G'night Charlie!"

"Goodnight CJ."

Josh came out into the hallway. " 'Night twerp."

CJ stuck her tongue out at him and closed her bedroom door behind her.

Josh looked up at Charlie and saluted him.

Charlie solemnly saluted him back. Josh went to his bedroom and closed the door behind himself.

Charlie was left alone in the hallway. He checked on Sam again before shutting off the bathroom and hall lights and making his way back down the stairs. He shuffled around the downstairs of the house, making sure all the windows and doors were locked and that the porch light was on for Jed, Abbey, and Leo. He helped himself to a piece of saltwater taffy from the bag in the pantry before finally turning on the tv and settling down on the couch.

A few episodes of Three's Company later he heard the jingling of keys at the front door. Charlie stood up and turned off the tv, then went into the foyer as Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet came in.

Jed smiled brightly. "Charlie my boy, your still here! Thought my progeny might have scared you off."

Charlie grinned. "I lived in the dorms my first year at Georgetown. Nothing scares me anymore."

Jed and Abbey laughed appreciatively.

Abbey looked considerably calmer than the last time Charlie had seen her. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold night air and her eyes were positively sparkling. "They didn't give you any trouble did they?"

"Nope, they're really great kids. We had a good time."

Abbey smiled and patted his cheek. "Thank you again for doing this on such short notice, you're an absolute saint."

"It was my pleasure m'am."

Abbey giggled. "I'm going to go check on them."

She moved up the stairs and out of sight.

Jed looked at Charlie. "You'll have to excuse the missus, she had some wine at intermission."

"Right."

Jed reached into his pants and withdrew his wallet. He withdrew several bills (much more than Charlie charged) and tucked them into Charlie's shirt pocket.

"We really appreciate you doing this," Jed said kindly. "I know you must be very busy, but would you mind if we hung onto your number, just in case?"

Charlie shifted from one foot to the other. "Um, that would be fine. But I should probably mention something that happened earlier."

Jed's eyes lost their mirth and his posture changed. He wasn't a particularly big man, but he could be very intimidating when he wanted to be.

"What happened?" he asked coolly.

"No, nothing bad. But um, Donna's mother came to pick her up earlier and…well, I don't think she approved of me."

Jed's eyes softened. "Did she say something to you?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, but I've kind of learned to pick up on these things over the years. Not a whole lot of people want to leave their kids alone with a black guy."

Jed sighed. "Charlie, the fact of the matter is that not a whole lot of people have brains. Gabriella Moss is one of the most odious women alive and how she managed to have such a kindhearted and intelligent daughter is beyond me. Now, I consider myself to be a man of impeccable judgment. The only person besides my wife and myself who has been allowed to watch my children has been Mrs. Landingham, and she was the woman who raised my own sorry ass. But you have done nothing but inspire my complete confidence in you since the day we met." He clapped Charlie on the shoulder. "Charlie, you are welcome in this house any time. That's more than can be said for Gabriella Moss."

Charlie felt a pricking in the corner of his eyes. "Thank you sir," he said quietly.

Jed quirked an eyebrow. "That's Jed to you Charlie. Only people like Mrs. Moss call me sir."

Charlie grinned. "Okay Jed."

Abbey padded down the stairs and slipped her arm around Jed's waist. "All fast asleep," she murmured.

"Well I should get going," Charlie said. "You two have a nice rest of your evening."

"You too. Thanks again," Abbey said warmly.  
"My pleasure. I'd be happy to sit for you guys again whenever you need," Charlie replied earnestly as he opened the front door.

"We're going to take you up on that," Jed said with a grin.

Charlie gave a wave and walked down the driveway to his little hatchback Honda.

"Drive safe!" Abbey called.

Jed closed the door and turned back to his wife, ghosting his hand across the plane of her hip. "So sweet knees," he murmured, voice low. "What do you say we head back to the bedroom and finish out this anniversary in style?"

She smirked. "Why Jethro, I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
